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Hurricane Philippe (East)
Hurricane Philippe '''was a powerful and deadly hurricane from the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season. Across Central American and Mexico, Philippe wrecked havoc and terror in September of 2023. The seventeenth depression, sixteenth storm, fourteenth hurricane, and seventh major hurricane, Philippe was the deadliest hurricane that impacted Central American since Mitch in 1998. It was also the fourth out of five Category 5 hurricanes in the hyperactive 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, a season that broke multiple records. After the storm, a humanitarian and refugee crisis that plagued the Western Hemisphere for years was caused. Because of this, Philippe is known as “La tormenta inolvidable (The Unforgettable Storm)” in many Central American countries. Meteorological History At 06:00 UTC on September 11, a tropical wave started taking on a cyclonic form in the Caribbean. In two hours, the NHC named the storm Tropical Depression 17 and begun tracking it. Later in the day, the storm entered favorable conditions in the western Caribbean where it strengthened and organized into a more circular shape. Airplanes detected wind speeds than reached 34 knots (40mph/64km/h), with the NHC naming the strengthened storm Tropical Storm Philippe, the sixteenth tropical storm. At 12:00 UTC, the storm entered the waters north of Panama, which were extremely warm and favorable for the formation and strengthening of cyclones. The storm than absorbed moisture it’s core, with the eyewall becoming more visible and storm sporting a wide eye 24mi (38km) in diameters. Philippe had become a hurricane. On September 12 at 04:00 UTC Hurricane Philippe began to turn to the north-west. Over the next 24 hours the storm would undergo extremely rapid intensification. Entering waters as warm as 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) with extremely low wind shear, Philippe quickly absorbed moisture and thunderstorm cells inside the eye became more violent. Winds quickly changed from 69 knots (80mph/128km/h) to 121 knots (140mph/225km/h within 8 hours. By 14:00 UTC Hurricane Philippe reached 139 knots (160mph/257km/h) with a minimal pressure of 920 hPa (mbar), becoming the season’s third Category 5 hurricane. The storm would travel towards the nation of Nicaragua. At 23:00 UTC, Hurricane Philippe would make landfall near Awastara, Nicaragua at Category 5 strength. Crossing into the next day, Philippe would travel into Honduras. At around 03:00, Philippe would undergo an eyewall replacement cycle before leaving the country at 05:00 UTC. Philippe would weaken into a Category 4 due to the cycle but immediately after the storm suddenly slowed down and regained strength. On September 13 at 14:00 UTC, Hurricane Philippe would reach peak intensity at 156 knots (180mph/289km/h) and a low pressure of 905 hPa. The storm continued its north-west path and moved towards the Yucatan Peninsula. In the next two days, Philippe would weaken due to high wind shear to a Category 4 hurricane with wind speeds of 130 knots (150mph/241km/h). Shortly before landfall however, Philippe weakened down a Category. On September 15 at 10:00 UTC, Hurricane Philippe would make landfall at Mahahual, Mexico as a high-end Category 3 hurricane with winds of 112 knots (129mph/207km/h) and a pressure of 945 hPa. During its time in the Yucatan Peninsula, Philippe would weaken even more, soon reaching Category 1 strength by the time it had left Mexico. After leaving Mexico, the storm than moved towards the north-east, seemingly following the Mexican coastline. During the storm’s two day time in the Gulf of Mexico, Philippe would strengthen into a Category 2 before slamming into Galveston, Texas at 08:00 UTC. After this, the storm would weaken considerably, becoming a Tropical storm five hours after landfall. The storm would temporarily move out of Texas but than take a north-eastern route and making a second American landfall; this time near Pecan Lake, Louisiana. Philippe would than move north-east before becoming an extratropical depression; eventually dissipating on September 20. Preparations '''Central America In Nicaragua the government issued a purple alert and ordered all civilians in the north and east of the country to evacuate to the western areas. This certainly saved the lives of 600,000 people living on the coast who decided to evacuate. Philippe struck the region with major rains and winds completely destroying any building structure on the coast and ending the lives of ~1240 people. Honduras did similar precautions. The storm killed ~1000 people in the country. However the central parts of their countries became a breeding ground for mudslides, killing almost another ~1000 in both countries combined and making the central part of their nations unnavigable for ground vehicles. Yucatan Peninsula The Mexican government, along with Belize ordered a purple alert for all coastal areas along with Mexico extending the alert to the entire peninsula. As the storm threatened a population of ~1,800 000 the Mexican government airlifted supplies into the region’s largest city, Merida and evacuated nearly 600,000 people to more inland areas. In both nations alone, ~963 people lost their lives. United States The state governments of Texas, Louisiana and, Mississippi declared states of emergency for their coastline, along with hurricane warnings for the entire coast. Tropical storm warnings were placed for more inland areas of affected states. Along with this, governments airlifted supplies into Galveston, New Orleans, Biloxi, and other cities along the coast. Fortunate for the United States, Philippe weakened enough to not be such a catastrophic storm, although 247 people died in the United States, mainly from flooding. Impact The impact Hurricane Philippe left on its affected areas was massive. In Central America, mudslides destroyed buildings, bridges, and roads which left almost 500,000 people homeless. Many would flee to different countries such as Coasta Rica, Panama, Colombia, Mexico, and the United States creating an evermore disastrous refugee and humanitarian crisis. On top of the disaster Ophelia left in Cuba, the Caribbean became a disaster area. Refugee camps were set up in Mexico, Texas, Florida, Coasta Rica, Panama, Colombia, Brazil, along with Guadeloupe and Martinique. In Mexico, destruction was very limited however refugees caused the already small amount of supplies to become even more strained. In the United States, flooding destroyed many buildings however destruction wasn’t as bad as in Mexico and Central America. Overall, the crisis caused by Hurricane Philippe and the effects of nearly half a million people made Philippe known as ”The Unforgettable Storm” in Central American, and would lead to the storm’s retirement unquestionable. Retirement On April 11, 2024 at the 46th session of the RA IV hurricane committee, the World Meteorological Organization retired the name Philippe from its rotating names list due to the deaths and destruction the storm caused, as well as the humanitarian crisis that plagued the Caribbean and North America, meaning its name will never be used again for an Atlantic hurricane. It will be replaced with Paulina for the 2029 Atlantic hurricane season. Category:Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes